Not One Moment
by XylonaFeav
Summary: What if you changed one small thing? It's only to save a life. Right?
1. One small mistake

The last time he had seen her he was elated, it had been some time since their last trip together. But when she saw him she walked straight up to him with a cold look in her eyes, it was a look more terrifying then anything he had seen on her before. She stopped two feet in front of him and in the blink of an eye had drawn her arm back and slapped it across his face with such force that he went sprawling backwards against the TARDIS. All he could do now was stare at her in shock his cheek screaming with pain. What had he done? not even taking Amy and Rory to witness his death and then see him again had warranted that much pain.

"Sorry I'm late?" he finally managed to half joke half gasp.

River gave him a look that made something inside him break, before she walked away, without turning back.****

~*~*~*~****

The next time he saw her the towers sang and he cried.****

~*~*~*~****

He had made her a promise, Not one thing, she should have known he couldn't keep that promise. So that night he didn't let her leave. ****

~*~*~*~****

The next day River smiled up at him, "Well what was that about?" she said laughing "I've missed my appointment by now"**  
**he smiled "I know"**  
**That day was amazing. Until about 2 that afternoon. He felt something change before he registered what. **  
**a shadow darkened his face as he realized what had happened.**  
"**Doctor? What's wrong!" River demanded, she looked scared.**  
"**Bella" ****

~*~*~*~****

It had been the happiest day of his life, and that was saying something after 1,100 years. He looked into her face and all he felt was love. This little body that he held in his arms so tiny so helpless. But as she looked at him he saw the promise of hundreds of days to come, running through forests, playing in meadows, running across beaches, learning to walk, running through fields, learning her history, and running. Always with the running.**  
"**Donna" he looked at River gleaming with sweat but beaming, "Let's name her Donna."**  
"**I like Bella better" she said a little tired "But Donna can be her middle name"**  
"**Bella Donna Song" said the Doctor trying it out.**  
"**I love it." she said her eyes showing a blaze of mischief.****

~*~*~*~

He remembered it as it happened, it made it stranger seeing as he was living in that same timeline as it happened.

He saw her take off her helmet. saw her shake out her long Strawberry blond curls, they went everywhere. She grinned at him, and in the TARDIS his hearts sank straight to his stomach. Her Hazel eyes shining in excitement.**  
****"**Dad what are you doing here?" she asked.**  
**He remembered not recognizing her. at all.**  
**The man-him- and Donna looked at each other before he tentatively asked "Jenny?"**  
**She stepped back looking as if she'd been slapped in the face. "Dad don't know you me?" she asked scared.**  
****"**Who are you?" **  
****"**Mum said you don't always know her, but I never thought..." she trailed off, her voice cracking on the last word.**  
****"**Bella?" asked the pompous looking man, Strackman Lux thought the Doctor as he watched the new memories unfold in his mind. **  
**She spun around composing herself quickly as she did. "Yes Mr. Lux?"**  
**The Doctor stopped the rush of new memories he knew how it went, the only difference was who was in charge. **  
****"**DOCTOR!" River screamed in his ear just as he began paying attention again. he looked at her**  
****"**What's wrong? What's happening with my daughter?" she said a little shakily.**  
****"**I will explain, I promise, but first we just have to get there, now."**  
**he didn't even need to touch a button before the TARDIS was rushing through space to rescue her.


	2. Losing everything

chapter 2****

He was too late. He knew he was too late as soon as he saw it in his memory. As he got out of the TARDIS he knew what he would find, he also knew he'd be there already, but hell if he cared! his Daughter was dying!**  
**He ran right past the man handcuffed on the floor, and straight to his Daughter. **  
**the TARDIS had landed just as she completed the circuit. So both the Doctor and River got to watch their Daughter as she was electrocuted. as he lifted her into his arms a wave of memory hit him he remembered seeing this broken man holding the young girl in his arms.**  
****"**Dad?" she said with a shudder of effort.**  
****"**Yes I'm here." he said as she died.**  
**River had reached him at this point, she couldn't do much more then stare at the body as what had happened sunk in.**  
****"**Doctor what's going on? why was she here?" River asked him shakily.**  
****"**When Lux arrived this morning you weren't there. She took your place."**  
****"**it should have been me." She said with a slow realization. "It was my job I was supposed to be here. It's my fault, I shouldn't have stayed." **  
**The Doctor couldn't let her blame herself for this, after all it wasn't her fault. "No, you're not to blame here." he said slowly, "I'm the one who wouldn't let you leave."**  
****"**You didn't know! I never even told you!" She shouted almost hysterical.**  
****"**But I did know!" replied the Time Lord.**  
****"**Don't try t-What?" she said realizing what he had sad.**  
****"**I did know, about you coming here today, what was here." He glanced behind them at the man in his Blue suit staring at them confused through what he fondly called brainy specs. **  
**River glanced back at him confused then comprehension dawned on her face.**  
****"**You've been here before. What would make you cross your own timeline unless..." She trailed off.**  
****"**Unless this wasn't how it was meant to happen" said the younger Doctor.**  
****"**Something changed." He said quietly.**  
**It was silent for a while after that.**  
**Finally River looked at the Doctor, her Doctor, and asked "What?"**  
****"**You" he said, his voice no more than a whisper.**  
****"**Me." She said confused.**  
****"**You-you were supposed to be here today" his voice caught over the next words. "This is where I first met you" he paused and took a long breath, "and where I lost you." his eyes were full of tears.**  
****"**I was supposed to be the one who died today." She said numbly, "but you changed that." She continued cold realization dawning on her. Her confusion turned to anger as she said in a dangerous tone "You kept me on the TARDIS because you knew I was supposed to die today, and you decided to play god and stop it!" she was nearly screaming at this point. **  
****"**I didn't realize what would happen," he snapped back still holding his daughter's body.**  
**she took a step back as though he had slapped her "It doesn't matter" she said finally, "what happened, happened and it's your fault! You killed our daughter."**  
**It was now the Doctors turn to feel as though he'd been slapped, he now knew why she had responded to him with a slap that day, because however hurtful it was it was also true. It was then that those words from centuries ago drifted to the front of his brain, the promise he had made that he could never have kept _time can be rewritten, don't you dare. not one moment! _a small phrase that had chased them for a time. A promise that could not be kept, not without knowing the consequences of breaking it. A choice he hadn't known he had. A decision he didn't realize he'd made. Two lives in his hands and only one could live, if he'd known would he have chosen differently? The answer was clear, yes, because this wasn't meant to happen, he had cut a life short, one that had never been meant to end that way. His face seemed to crumple.**  
**But the one person who could help him, the one person always there for him no matter what he did, now hated him, would not help him.**  
**River lifted the body of her daughter from the arms of the man she had loved and walked away. She didn't turn back, and she didn't tell the Doctor to come with her. She just left.


	3. River's Turn

Chapter 3.  
*River*  
She had just finished bringing her daughter to the funeral parlor, when she saw him. He looked so happy just to see her, how dare he! How dare he be this happy as their daughter was being embalmed. Without stopping to think that this man may not have gotten to this yet she walked straight up to him and slapped him so hard that her hand stung, as she walked away from the man she had loved she cried.

He was at the funeral and he had made a point to live through all the days leading up to it in order, but River didn't know that, all she knew was that she would have killed him if he didn't come.  
After the funeral he began walking over to her, he stopped about four feet away, she looked at him. as he opened his mouth to say something she interrupted.  
"Don't. Don't even try." she said coldly, "It is your fault, you even admitted it, so don't you ever expect me to forgive you. Ever. I don't want to see you again." At that point she turned away and walked over to Amy and Rory, who she had gone to tell and bring back with her for the funeral a few days ago. Amy was crying, she had been close to her granddaughter. Rory seemed to still be in shock. she hugged her Mother and pointedly ignored the Doctor. She wanted very badly to go over and collapse in his arms to cry over the loss of their child, but she couldn't she could never forgive him. And that hurt almost as much as the loss of Bella.


	4. Re-established timelines

Chapter 4.  
The first time he had seen her was still at the Library, the second time was new.  
He had been forced to leave Donna behind, and had yet to reach the end. That was the next time he saw her.  
He wouldn't have been there if he wasn't thinking about loss, the loss of Donna, which of course made him think of the loss of a Daughter he had never met.  
He was standing enjoying a sunset on a small planet in the Andromeda galaxy, he had taken his first child here when they where younger.  
when he heard a loud noise and saw a woman running straight at him, a mess of blond curls jumped around her face as she ran him right over.  
gasping and looking excited she stood up helping him, "Hello Sweetie, knew you'd come and help me sooner or later." she dragged him into the TARDIS and started it as something slammed into the box.  
"So where are we?" she asked grinning.  
"Uh what do you mean? We just met at the Library." He said entirely confused.  
Her face fell fast, "Oh well you do know who I am at least?"  
"I didn't catch your name last time but I have ideas." he said calmly.  
Slowly she said, "River Song, Professor River Song." it sounded as though her heart broke with every word.  
"Well Professor Song, it will be a pleasure to know you I'm sure." He said not sure what else to say.  
She smiled. "Yes, yes it will." and as the TARDIS landed she said, "I'll be seeing you on the Byzantium then."

The first meeting had changed drastically, the second was in a new place with a different Doctor, the next was the Byzantium, it was pretty much the same, he stilled called her Professor Song. She still sang spoilers back. The differences where subtle in some place and not in others the Doctor no longer knew when and where she died, but he still knew she was part of his future. He still travelled with Amy, She still remembered him. But he did treat her different, and because he had made it happen the Doctor could remember both time-lines, He seemed to if not trust her, he at least didn't distrust her as much. He had seen that it would be his fault that her Daughter had died, hers and his so he must have trusted her a good deal, and if anyone had the right to have no trust it was her. But she seemed to trust him with everything, even her own life.  
Of course as the curious Doctor he still had to know who she was. So really the biggest change was the fact that now she was alive, and Bella wasn't, and he knew he had to fix it, because even if their past was similar the future would be completely different. And it was his fault.


End file.
